Work & commute · Tucson

Work & commute in Tucson, AZ

57% of Tucson’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Phoenix (9%), Casas Adobes (3%) and Catalina Foothills (2%). Half commute less than 8 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

57%

116,379 of 205,672 working residents

Typical commute

8 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

22 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

14%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 89,293 Tucson residents head out of town to work, 116,379 work right here, and 119,843 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Tucson.

89,293live here, work elsewhere

116,379live and work here

119,843work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Tucson goes to work

Tucson (in town)right here

57%116,379

Phoenix120.9 mi away

9%18,640

Casas Adobes15.4 mi away

3%5,436

Catalina Foothills10.3 mi away

2%4,616

Tempe105.3 mi away

2%4,157

Marana26.6 mi away

2%4,036

Scottsdale120.4 mi away

1%2,735

Mesa99.1 mi away

1%2,664

Oro Valley19.5 mi away

1%2,657

Chandler96.7 mi away

1%2,370

Everywhere elseother towns and states

20%41,982

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Tucson commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

61%

15%

23%

61%Under 10 mi

15%10–24 mi

1%25–50 mi

23%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Tucson is balanced between jobs and homes

1.15jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.15 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Tucson are

236,222 jobs are based in Tucson. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Tucson’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Tucson

236,222 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)7%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)74%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month33%

Over $3,333 a month55%

Jobs Tucson residents hold

205,672 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)13%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)68%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month35%

Over $3,333 a month53%

+11%

Jobs based in Tucson, 2013 → 2023: 213,177 → 236,222. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.